How Cameraphone Apps Inspired Charity Photo Exhibit

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Cellphone-camera photos have been gaining cred for years now,
even before the iPhone. But the genre has been exploding with the
advent of apps such as Hipstamatic, Camera Bag and especially
Instagram, all of which apply dramatic or even whimsical effects
to what might otherwise be so-so shots.

In summer 2010, for instance – before the advent of the
photo-sharing app Instagram – Dijital Fix gallery space in
Manhattan's Lower East Side hosted an exhibit of
Polaroid-mimicking images shot with the Hiptstamatic iPhone app.

But Instagram, which debuted on the iPhone (and is still
available for only that device), has propelled cellphone
photography by combining great effects with a social network
based on sharing and commenting on everyone's creations.

"I just ended up using these phone applications, and I was
impressed with how it's taking off — especially the ability to
share, especially with Instagram," said Cliff Manspeaker, a Web
developer-cum-curator who is planning an exhibit in Orlando,
Florida.

The show, called Depixtions, opens on March 10
and will feature submissions from around the world. "I'm actually
surprised at the number of international entries we've received
so far — India, Ireland, Egypt, China," said Manspeaker. The
exhibit got a boost when a tech news site, The Next Web, featured
it in an article over the weekend. They wrote it based simply on
materials Manspeaker had put out.

He didn't even know about the article until later when he started
seeing a flood of entries coming in. The count now up to about
120, and the deadline for submissions is this Friday, Feb. 17.

Manspeaker wanted to see good come out of the show, in addition
to the artistic output, so he made it a fundraiser
for New Hope for
Kids, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening
illnesses.

His goals are modest. He hopes to sell each photo for just $5. "
If we can get up to 300, that would be $1,500. That would be
great," said Manspeaker.